More Than a Monolith

In the season three finale of "More Than a Monolith," Dr. Priya Nalkur—psychologist, executive coach, and author—delivers a heartfelt keynote from CAAPLE Con25. She explores the power of vulnerability in leadership, the importance of reframing mistakes as stepping stones to growth, and the transformative impact of sharing our stories. Through personal anecdotes and insights, Dr. Nalkur i...

In this episode of "More Than a Monolith," Dr. Shana Henry sits down with Janice Munemitsu, author of "The Kindness of Color," to explore the powerful true story of two families whose acts of solidarity changed the course of history. Janice shares her family's connection to the landmark Mendez v. Westminster case, the challenges faced by Japanese Americans during World War...

In this powerful episode of "More Than a Monolith," Dr. Stefan Bean, Orange County’s 12th Superintendent of Schools, sits down with Dr. Diane Kitamura for an inspiring conversation about resilience, community, and transformative leadership. Dr. Bean shares his extraordinary story—from his birth in Vietnam and overcoming adversity as a child with polio, to becoming a passionate educator a...

Explore the transformative power of rest, storytelling, and collective healing in Asian American communities in this heartfelt episode. Our guest shares insights on mental health, intergenerational trauma, and the importance of culturally rooted wellness practices. Learn about the journey behind the book "Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity," and practica...

Join us for a powerful episode recorded live at CAAPLE Con 25, where AANHPI superintendents from across California share unfiltered reflections on identity, equity, and the courage it takes to lead. Moderated by Dr. Diane Kitamura, this panel dives deep into the challenges and triumphs of educational leadership, from recruitment and retention to cultural roots and systemic reform. Be inspired by s...

This special episode of "More Than a Monolith" features a candid, deeply personal conversation about identity, belonging, and the complexities of being Desi in America. Recorded live with audience participation, the discussion unpacks the often unspoken question: Are Indians really Asian? Listeners are invited to explore the nuances of cultural labels, microaggressions, and the search fo...

In this episode of "More Than a Monolith," host Shana Henry sits down with Dr. Meghna Bhatt—storyteller, educator, and advocate—to explore the transformative power of storytelling within the South Asian and AANHPI communities. Together, they discuss how sharing personal stories can foster healing, challenge stereotypes, and build authentic connections. Dr. Bhatt shares her journey into s...

In this powerful episode, host Shana Henry sits down with keynote speaker, educator, and author Tony De La Rosa to explore the complexities of Asian American identity, the journey of unlearning internalized oppression, and the ongoing fight for representation in education. Tony shares personal stories, insights from his book "Teaching the Invisible Race," and poetry that challenges liste...

Today my guest is Estella Owoimaha-Church, Executive Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities –also known as EPIC .  Estella, a former educator of nearly two decades, is a strong voice and advocate for marginalized communities having spoken all over the world about pressing education matters.  This was a heavy conversation for me because I could feel the depth of critical urgency Estell...

Welcome back to another episode of More Than a Monolith.  I am really thrilled to introduce you to our guest today, Maria Medrano.  I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Maria for about 15 years when her daughter enrolled in the school I had the honor of leading.  Maria, her husband Mauricio and I quickly connected through our passionate belief in the access and opportunity for underrepresented youth. ...

Welcome back to a new episode of More Than a Monolith.  Today, I have the honor of being joined by Lee Herrick.  Lee Herrick is the California Poet Laureate and the first Asian American to hold the title. He is the author of three books of poems: Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This Many Miles from Desire. In addition, his writings appear in a number of anthologies. He served a...

Today I am thrilled to welcome our guest, Misty Her.  Misty is the Deputy Superintendent of Fresno Unified School District and the highest ranking Hmong K-12 professional in the nation.  Yes, in the nation.  Her story is exceptional beginning with her years when she immigrated to Fresno as a young girl.  After college, she returned to Fresno unified as a bilingual aide and worked her way up to now...

For today’s episode, I am joined by Dr, Karen Umemoto who is a a professor in the departments of Urban Planning and Asian American Studies at UCLA and is the inaugural Helen and Morgan Chu Endowed Director’s Chair of the Asian American Studies Center.  You can read more about her extensive background in our show notes.  One of her many accomplishments is co-authoring the book, Jacked Up and Unjust...

We are back with another episode and I am so excited about today’s guests.  Yes, guests, plural.  On this episode, I am joined by five exceptional youth voices behind AAPI Youth Rising.  I’ve been a follower of their work for a while now and was thrilled when they accepted the invitation to be on the show.  Today we’re chatting about the genesis of their organization, youth mental health, their on...

Our guest today is Dr. Diann Kitamura.  Diann is the former superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools and has worked in public education for the past 40 years.  She continues this work in her retirement as a lecturer in the Leaders for Equity and Democracy program at U.C. Berkeley, the 21CLSA AAPI Affinity Group Lead for the Bay Area, and a mentor/coach for Next Level Client Services with F3 Law. ...

Today’s guest is Tracie Noriega and we’re talking about the history of ethnic studies and what are the critical considerations we need to pay attention to as it is delivered in our schools.  Tracie Noriega serves the students of San Lorenzo Unified as the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. Tracie also serves in various roles with FAEAC (Filipino-American Educators Association of CA)...

 I am here with our final episode of season 1.  Not to worry, season 2 will be here before you know it so stay connected to us on Twitter @caaple1 and on LinkedIn so you’ll know when we are back in spring.  But, before we sign off, we have our final guest of the season, Dr. Ratmony Yee.   Dr. Yee currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in the Victor Valley Union Hi...

I am so excited to introduce our guest today, Dr. Russell Jeung.  Dr. Jeung is currently a professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and he is also one of the co-founders of the Stop AAPI Hate coalition which tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U...

Today’s guest is Sujie Shin, Deputy Executive Director for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.  In her role, she spearheads specific statewide initiatives and helps to lead Direct Technical Assistance efforts to districts.  Additionally, her oversight of research and evaluation initiatives help districts and schools improve equity, access, opportunity and outcomes for students...

If you’ve been following our CAAPLE journey from the very beginning, today’s guest is familiar to you.  Michele Tsutagawa Ward is a founding board member of CAAPLE and an elementary school principal in Poway School District.  Today she’s sharing part of her personal story and the impact it’s had on her present life.   This season of More Than A Monolith is sponsored by Parsec Education,  an educat...

Today I am chatting with Roby Chatterji.  He’s the associate director for K-12 Education at American Progress and  Today we are discussing his report titled Education Policies Need to Address the Unique Needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities.  I was fascinated with this report when I read it and feel it’s brought light to important issues. Education Policies Need to Address the U...

My guest today is someone I call a dear friend, Victor Tam.  Victor is a principal in San Francisco, California and if you don’t follow him on Twitter make sure to go find @principaltam.  He is one of the most genuine people I’ve had the pleasure to know and today he joins us to reinforce the value of sharing our personal stories.  I am thankful I got to share this space with him and I know you wi...

Welcome to this first official episode of the More Than a Monolith podcast.  We have a special guest to kick off episode 1 of this first season and that is Dr. Isaac Huang.  Isaac is currently the President of CAAPLE, the California Association of Asian and Pacific Leaders in Education where I have the fortune of serving as his present elect and CAAPLE also serves as the producer of this show.  In...

Welcome to the More Than A Monolith podcast.  Asian American and Pacific Islanders, or as we are commonly labeled, AAPIs, are about 6% of the U.S. population and are the country’s fastest-growing racial group. A population of more than 20 million, we are expected to grow to 35 million by 2060 .   The AAPI label is an umbrella term for over 50 ethnic groups and when considered as a standalone ident...